Say what you will about Stephen Harper (and much has and will be said before voting day on Oct. 19), he has served as prime minister for nine years and managed to politically polarize Canada for no other reason than that he has always been about something.

Analysts have contended that Harper’s political success flows from managing to unite the disparate elements of Canada’s right wing into a reliable political base, and that’s true enough. The 30 or so per cent of the electorate the Harper Conservatives can rely upon to come through on voting day are rock solid, which is why it’s probably easier for most ordinary Canadians to land an invitation to a Kardashian cocktail photo op than a Tory campaign announcement. They got that way because they know what to expect from Harper, and he makes sure he’ll know what to expect from them. The vetting process to attend a Conservative political event is rigorous because it’s aimed at ensuring the theoretically 70 per cent of potentially politically wobbly Canadians don’t show up and make trouble (or headlines). And even if some Canadians might balk at that kind of political mise en scene, the Tories don’t care because it works. And it works because it’s simple. You are either for or against Stephen Harper and the Conservative Party of Canada. There are no shades of grey, just a Harper shade of Tory blue.

That may seem to fly in the face of conventional Canadian political tradition. History tell us we are a nation woven together by compromise, whether in the form of negotiating Confederation, dealing with 40 years of separatist rhetoric (and two referendums) in Quebec, establishing ourselves as a reliable plain dealer in international affairs, shrugging off Western Canada’s suggestion that we freeze in the dark or dealing with the fact that, for a while there, Rob Ford was actually mayor of Toronto.

Our strength once flowed from our ability to shake our heads and assure ourselves that no matter what happened within our borders or without them, whatever it was that made us Canadian would remain. But those days are gone, buried beneath a devolving political decade defined by with us or against us, right or left, right or wrong and the suddenly Canadian necessity, like it or not, of having to take a side.

Related

And yesterday, as the polls suggested the three main parties remain locked in a dead heat when it comes to voter preference, Liberal leader Justin Trudeau decided to stop focusing on abstracts like the middle class and deficits and make it clear his campaign will run beyond election day.

Trudeau told reporters in Montreal that no matter what happened in October, he would never co-operate with any government led by Stephen Harper. “I have spent my entire political career fighting against Mr. Harper’s narrow and meaner vision of what Canada can be and what the government should do,” he said in a comment that sounded far more personal than political. “There are no circumstances in which I would support Stephen Harper to continue being prime minister of this country.”

You’ll agree there’s little wiggle room for interpretation there, and even if Trudeau’s Liberals have supported Harper initiatives in the past (Bill C-51 being the most obvious example), his comments on Tuesday suggest that those days are gone.

Mind you, this is the same Justin Trudeau who once said he’d never be part of a coalition government involving NDP leader Tom Mulcair, but now seems open to a less official form of co-operation should the Tories win a minority government. Yet as we get closer to voting day and the polling number never seem to budge, something, somewhere will have to give. And it’s helpful to remember that Napoleon Bonaparte once observed that if you fight the same enemy too often, he’ll learn your art of war. Perhaps by making this about Harper, Trudeau is showing he understands the importance of eliminating any shades of grey, and that just like Harper, he too can be about something.

Montreal Gazette news columnist James Mennie can be heard weekdays at 4:35 p.m. on the Aaron Rand Show on CJAD 800.

This Week's Flyers

Comments

We encourage all readers to share their views on our articles and blog posts. We are committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion, so we ask you to avoid personal attacks, and please keep your comments relevant and respectful. If you encounter a comment that is abusive, click the "X" in the upper right corner of the comment box to report spam or abuse. We are using Facebook commenting. Visit our FAQ page for more information.